History · Madison

Madison has 143 places on the National Register, 9 of them National Historic Landmarks

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #44 of 362 in Wisconsin. What drives it

Dated to 1836 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history), with 13% of its homes built before 1940 and 23 historic districts holding 3,558 contributing buildings. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1885 on, the census since 1840, and every listing on the Register.

1836founded

143on the National Register

13%homes built before 1940

1old photo or paper

35famous people

Add an old photo Share a memory

From Madison’s archive · credits on each photo

Quick answers

How Madison began

When was Madison founded?

1836

Madison dates its founding to 1836 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1840.

First census: 172 in 18402020 census: 269,840190 years

How historic is Madison?

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓

Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1837.The full story ↓

History grade

What drives Madison’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Madison is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #44 of 362 in Wisconsin. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Madison’s overall grade.

Founding era1836, from Wikidata: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA⁻Homes built before 194013.0% of homes (±0.7) · typical WI town 12.1% · U.S. 8.4%B⁻National Register143 listings, 3,558 historic buildings, 128 per 10,000 residents · typical WI town 3.0 · U.S. 2.4A⁺

All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 89%

NewerOlder

Wisconsin towns of 2,500+ (362)Ahead of 88%

Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Madison ranks #75 on History.

Wisconsin towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wisconsin town has 3.0 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Madison’s 128 sits above most of its state (96% of Wisconsin towns have fewer) while its 3,558 historic buildings outnumber those of 100% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A+. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size. Two sources give 1836.

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Madison’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A National Historic Landmark143 places on the National Register, 9 of them National Historic Landmarks.A historic districtThe University Hill Farms Historic District takes in 820 historic buildings.Lost villages5 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Madison, and 18 old place names are still on the map.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 1 old photo is in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.

★ What stands out · On the National Register

143 listings protect 3,558 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. 9 are National Historic Landmarks, the highest tier. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed

143

National Historic Landmarks

University of Wisconsin Arboretum

historic buildings protected

3,558

each building in a district counts

first listed

1966

North Hall, University of Wisconsin

BuildingsDistrictsSitesStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne16

Italianate15

Prairie School13

Tudor Revival11

Classical Revival9

Georgian Revival8

★ Landmark

University of Wisconsin ArboretumDistrict

★ Landmark

North Hall, University of WisconsinBuilt 1851

★ Landmark

Wisconsin State CapitolClassical · Built 1970

★ Landmark

University of Wisconsin Armory and GymnasiumRomanesque Revival · Built 1894

★ Landmark

University of Wisconsin Science HallRomanesque Revival · Built 1887

★ Landmark

University of Wisconsin Dairy BarnLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals · Built 1898

★ Landmark

Jacobs, Herbert and Katherine, First HouseModern Movement

★ Landmark

Jacobs, Herbert and Katherine, Second HouseModern Movement · Built 1948

All 143 listings

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Madison’s post office has been open since 1837. Five other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Madison

1837–today

Burke

1854–1919

Mendota

1862–1870

Blooming Grove

1866–1871

Mendota

1875–1947

Grace

1882–1885

18301930today

Hamlets and corners on the map

Bowens AdditionBurkeDarwinElmsideEthelwyn ParkGreenbush AdditionHighland ManorMadison Mobile Home ParkMendotaMendota BeachMiddleton JunctionOak Park TerraceOakland HeightsPilgrim VillagePreglers AdditionSouth MadisonWarrens AdditionWingra Park

Gone or out of use

Bethel Norwegian Lutheran ChurchchurchHooleys Opera HousebuildingLincoln Elementary SchoolschoolLongfellow SchoolschoolMendota Beach StationlocaleMilwaukee Street QuarrymineMonona AssemblylocaleSecond Ward SchoolschoolSwedish Lutheran Gloria Dei ChurchchurchTruax Army Air Fieldmilitary

11cemeteries and burying grounds inside Madison

Blooming GroveBurkeCalvaryForest HillForest Hill Cemetery Soldiers' LotHoly CrossHope EvangelicalLakeview LutheranMiddletonResurrectionSunset Memory Gardens

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

The story

How Madison came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Madison.

Read it all →

Before Europeans, humans inhabited the area in and around Madison for about 12,000 years. The Ho-Chunk called the region Teejop (Ho-Chunk pronunciation: [teːdʒop]) meaning 'land of the four lakes' (Mendota, Monona, Waubesa, and Kegonsa). Numerous effigy mounds, constructed for ceremonial and burial purposes more than 1,000 years earlier, dotted the rich prairies around the lakes. Dugout canoes found near many small lakes and rivers are prompting new anthropological research projects.

ChaptersNative Americans Founding Expansion 1960s and 1970s 21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Madison in 1874

Passages that mention Madison, cut from the printed page as they were published.

The United States census was taken this year, and we find the population of the city reported as 9,173, and the town of Madison, 857. The county of Dane 53,109. The value of city property as equalized by the county board of supervisors in June, was, real estate, $2,500,000; personal, 11,260,018, an… — **A history of Madison, the capital of Wisconsin**1874 · page 332Read the page →
Read the text
The United States census was taken this year, and we find the population of the city reported as 9,173, and the town of Madison, 857. The county of Dane 53,109. The value of city property as equalized by the county board of supervisors in June, was, real estate, $2,500,000; personal, 11,260,018, and the town of Madison, 170,000.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

7i HISTORY OF MADISON AND THE establishment. But the old building finally went down as the " Madison Hotel," and by that name it will ever be known in the history of Madison. At 12 o'clock, March, 17, 1863, the Madison Hotel was the oldest building standing in the city of Madison. Peace to its ashe… — **A history of Madison, the capital of Wisconsin**1874 · page 74Read the page →
Read the text
7i HISTORY OF MADISON AND THE establishment. But the old building finally went down as the " Madison Hotel," and by that name it will ever be known in the history of Madison. At 12 o'clock, March, 17, 1863, the Madison Hotel was the oldest building standing in the city of Madison. Peace to its ashes."
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Madison, 1836 to 1976

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

19th century
1836
FoundingMadison is established
1837Post officeThe Madison post office opens
1851BuiltNorth Hall, University of Wisconsin is built
1854Post officeThe Burke post office opens
1855In the archiveMadison 1855
1862Post officeThe Mendota post office opens
1870Post officeThe Mendota post office closes
1887BuiltUniversity of Wisconsin Science Hall is built
1890On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
1894BuiltUniversity of Wisconsin Armory and Gymnasium is built
1897Born hereThornton Wilder is born here
20th century
1908Born hereJohn Bardeen is born here
1919Post officeThe Burke post office closes
1930Born hereGena Rowlands is born here
1964Born hereChris Farley is born here
1965LandmarkNorth Hall, University of Wisconsin named a National Historic Landmark
1970BuiltWisconsin State Capitol is built
1976LandmarkHarold C. Bradley House named a National Historic Landmark

By decade

Madison, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1850s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s1 item

c. 1855Madison 1855

On the map

Madison on the map, 1890 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Madison. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

1890Madison sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Madison.

Every building

Madison, building by building, 1885–1908

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Madison fire insurance map, 1885, sheet 1

1885Sheet 1 of 10

Edition

Sheets

+9 more at the Library of Congress

BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Retake this viewMadison 1855, c. 1855

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Madison’s page.

Retake this view · +15

People over time

Madison, census by census

Grew from 172 people in 1840 to 269,840 in 2020, more than tenfold.

19 censuses, 1840–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Madison’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

35 famous people were born in Madison

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →

John BardeenAmerican physicist and engineer · b. 1908

Thornton WilderAmerican playwright and novelist · b. 1897

Gena RowlandsAmerican actress · b. 1930

Chris FarleyAmerican actor and comedian · b. 1964

Eric HeidenAmerican speed skater · b. 1958

Liz CheneyUnited States Representative from Wyoming from … · b. 1966

Help out

Start Madison’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Madison’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos

00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s

0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.

Retake an old viewMadison 1855: stand where they stood+15 Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

BurkeIts storyD Blooming GroveIts storyC⁺WestportIts storyC Monona6 historic placesC Fitchburg6 historic placesB Middleton3 historic placesB⁺VeronaIts storyD Middleton1 historic placeC Cottage Grove1 historic placeB⁺McFarland3 historic placesC⁺

Questions about Madison’s history

What year was Madison founded?

In 1836, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Madison’s post office opened in 1837, and the census of 1840 counted 172 people here.

How does Madison rank for history?

Madison is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #44 of 362 in Wisconsin. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Madison?

143 listings, 9 of them National Historic Landmarks: 115 buildings, among them the North Hall, University of Wisconsin (listed 1966, the first), 23 historic districts with 3,425 contributing buildings, 4 sites, and 1 structure. 3,558 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Madison?

13% of Madison’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 12% for a Wisconsin town; the median home was built in 1980.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →

Start a conversation

Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (1), Wikidata (5), the National Register of Historic Places (143), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Madison has 143 places on the National Register, 9 of them National Historic Landmarks

How Madison began

When was Madison founded?

How historic is Madison?

What drives Madison’s History grade

What stands out about Madison’s past

143 listings protect 3,558 historic buildings

Architectural styles listings

Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

How Madison came to be

What they wrote about Madison in 1874

Madison, 1836 to 1976

Madison, decade by decade

Madison on the map, 1890 to 1983

Madison, building by building, 1885–1908

Stand where they stood

Madison, census by census

35 famous people were born in Madison

Start Madison’s collection

History across the town line

Questions about Madison’s history

Memory lane

Where this page comes from